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Topic: Target Exclusives - Where are They All Going to Go? (Read 6570 times)

My own local Targets have been weird. They have the Ultra Battle Packs on an endcap, but the rest are all in the stock room. The DCPI trick has worked out, but when or where are they going to put the rest of these? Both the TIE Bomber and ARC-170 are in sizable boxes. The battle packs will fit in their normal location, but for some reason they're not being stocked there. Strange.

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The one Target I've seen that cheated - has one endcap full of the WoN BP's, and the endcap directly to the left of it loaded with all of the other exclusives. Shark Arc's on the bottom, Tie Bombers & ARC BP's on the next row, then the GH sets, then the AT-RT's up on top.

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The one Target I've seen that cheated - has one endcap full of the WoN BP's, and the endcap directly to the left of it loaded with all of the other exclusives. Shark Arc's on the bottom, Tie Bombers & ARC BP's on the next row, then the GH sets, then the AT-RT's up on top.

Damn, wish the hell I could even find a "Shark ARC" or the corresponding battlepack...

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I'm just a humble collector trying to make his way through the universe...of toy aisles."We are strong. We are resilient. We are American." - President Barack Obama, State of the Union Address 2010

I'm just going to join every SW toy forum and have them sticky a thread to answer questions about Target & exclusives we carry.

Stores have the option of setting the ARC, AT-RT, TIE etc. if all other current sales planner merchandise is blown out due to the 2-day sale. They aren't scheduled to go out until 12/2 (this coming Sunday). If the UBPs sellout or down to less than a full endcap before then, they can put the other exclusives on the UBP endcap, and move any remain UBPs to the riser. The other stuff isn't supposed to be on the riser. It's supposed to be in the backroom until the endcap sets. It's not a STREET DATE with the other exclusives, it's a "if you sell out of these, here's your backup plan. If they 12/2 exclusives sellout before 12/2, they'll have nothing to put on the endcap, and then will have to scramble to find a backup for their scheduled backup....see where I'm going with this?

Some stores don't have backroom space to store all the extra toys that are coming in for X-mas, that much is true. They still aren't supposed to put future sales planner merchandise on the sales floor on risers for everyone to see and risk life and limb for. That's just poor planning on the logistics folks at those stores.....or they can't read English when there is clearly a set date on the DC tag.

Eventually, the DPCI trick is going to come to a halt on "collectibles". In some stores already has. Too many folks are using it nowadays, and stores are getting wiser to it.

Stores have the option of setting the ARC, AT-RT, TIE etc. if all other current sales planner merchandise is blown out due to the 2-day sale. They aren't scheduled to go out until 12/2 (this coming Sunday). If the UBPs sellout or down to less than a full endcap before then, they can put the other exclusives on the UBP endcap, and move any remain UBPs to the riser. The other stuff isn't supposed to be on the riser. It's supposed to be in the backroom until the endcap sets. It's not a STREET DATE with the other exclusives, it's a "if you sell out of these, here's your backup plan. If they 12/2 exclusives sellout before 12/2, they'll have nothing to put on the endcap, and then will have to scramble to find a backup for their scheduled backup....see where I'm going with this?

Some stores don't have backroom space to store all the extra toys that are coming in for X-mas, that much is true. They still aren't supposed to put future sales planner merchandise on the sales floor on risers for everyone to see and risk life and limb for. That's just poor planning on the logistics folks at those stores.....or they can't read English when there is clearly a set date on the DC tag.

That sounds about right, and is pretty much identical to what our Target sources have been telling us.

For the record, from what our Target sources have told us here, the other exclusives have a date of 12/2 on them for release... Basically after the WON promotion, which is something we reported on the front page a while ago... The WON promo runs a week, and at that point the other exclusives were to "deluge" onto the sales floor... Nothing was noted on specific shelving spots for it though, and it's likely slated for the spots where the UBP's are now (endcap).

Eventually, the DPCI trick is going to come to a halt on "collectibles". In some stores already has. Too many folks are using it nowadays, and stores are getting wiser to it.

Eh, I'm not too worried about that happening. Sure it may get tougher to find employees to get the stuff for you, but it will by no means be impossible. There will always be at least one employee who is either doesn't remember the policy or frankly just doesn't care. Short of one or two guys at the local Targets I have never had any problems with the DCPI and most everyone has always been very helpful.

You sure seem like a nice humble fellow. What a great way to introduce yourself here. Welcome to JediDefender!

Didn't mean to sound crass or rude there, just jumping in with both feet I suppose. Seems like a lot of folks here are familiar to me from RS, GH, SSG or Yak, so I just came in like I already knew everyone (which I don't).

Anyway, thanks for the welcome. I would be glad to answer questions if anyone had any now or in the future. I'm sure you have your own source for Target info, but I'm always glad to help folks out when I can.

Getting wiser to it? Why don't they encourage using it so they can increase their sales and help people find what they are looking for?

I guess I don't understand Target's philosophy on customer service.

Selling stuff out of the backroom before the item is planned to have a home on the sales floor is a problem. Anybody with a list of DPCIs could clean out a store of everything before the endcap is even scheduled to go up. The stuff has set dates for a reason, usually so the merchandise is held to be used for an upcoming Ad...and who isn't pissed off when they see something in the Sunday paper, only to find out Joe Collector or Scalper Bob cleaned out the store before the promo even started? Sure, it would increase sales, for THAT day that everything sold, but come Sunday, or even later in the week of the Ad, you'll be dealing with OTHER pissed off collectors and parents that can't by them because they're gone already. Exclusives don't usually get replenished like regular stocked items do, since there are limited amounts produced. Stores get allocated a certain amount, and that's usually where it ends. There are occasions where the DC holds stuff, and trickles it out during the week, but for the most part, the amount the store gets before the due date, is it. I can't speak for ALL Target's, but MY store likes to make as many people as possible happy, and if that means not letting one guy buy everything, then so be it.

Example: My store received 24 of the Littlest Pet Shop WoN gift set. The 1st Granny looking lady that walked in at 8am put 16 in her cart. I told her there was a limit of 2 per Guest. She ignored me and went to checkout. The cashiers already knew we were limiting, so they would only let her buy 2. She left with 2, and came back in through Garden, and started stashing more around the store so she could come back later. I found them behind bedding, Lego's, in automotive, and tucked between Christmas trees. In the meantime, we had several other Guests looking for them, and were happy because we actually had some to sell. By the time I rounded up all the ones Granny hid around the store, I still had some to sell later in the afternoon, making alot of people happy, and they bought other things in the store since they found what they came for. They could have left and went to any other Target (we have 6 in a 20 mile radius), and shopped there instead.

Now, if I would have sold those last week, when someone came in with the DPCI, I would have pissed off more than that one old lady, I would have pissed off everyone else that came in after the fact, and they may not want to come shopping at my store for Toys, because I'm always sold out when the Ad starts, so why bother.The same situation happens with the Wii's. We may get 48, but if there is an Ad coming with them featured, we HAVE to hold them, otherwise we have a line of people bitching about it Sunday morning at 8:01am. Sure, we could have sold all 48 earlier in the week, but when people see something advertised, they expect to see it in the store. So, the first 48 people that come in looking for them got them, and everyone else that didn't think it was that urgent to show up early misses out.

Target stopped looking in the backroom for "unique items" years ago. Collectors and parents made enough fuss about not being able to find certain toys, because scalpers were having Team Members bring out sealed cases, and cherry picking them for the HTF stuff. People got sick of it and complained to Corporate, so they started the policy that everyone hates so much. If the store has enough room to fit a full case on the pegs, they are supposed to pull a case to fill the pegs/shelf up, but they are supposed to dig through cases looking for that ONE thing, that people are looking for. It's more fair to everyone, that one person doesn't get everything HTF by pilfering the backroom stock.

If the pegs are low, they SHOULD bring stuff out to fill it to capacity. We have a computer system that creates batches that is supposed to request the right amount to fill the floor, but sometimes it's off. New cases won't come in until stores hit a minimum ON HAND count, that is determined before the store even opens its doors for the first time. If the minimum ON HAND is 6, then stores may not get another case until that 7th pegwarmer sells. It sucks, but that's the way it has been for years. Stores typically get more before an Ad is coming up, but those cases may have a date on the tag, so stores may hold them until the Ad breaks, even though they are regular stocked items, that are almost out of the floor.

I ran over to Target on Sunday morning hoping to see the new exclusives (the GH Jabba pack in particular), but none of them were out on the floor. The UBPs were still there, although moved to a different/shared endcap (and a couple in the aisle - with a shelf tag). No signs of them out on the floor yet though, although I see the ARC, ARC BP, and TIE Bomber are all in stock at Target.com.

1. I have a Target in my area that "profiles" the collectors, puts out alerts that "no new Star Wars should be brought out for the next 30 minutes" when we enter the store and outright REFUSES to stock EMPTY figure pegs even though they have more in the back.

2. I have spoken with Target Corporate Customer Service, and everytime I do they confirm to me that the price scanners with the key-pads are to assist customers in looking-up items that are not out on the shelves/pegs.

3. The same Target that I mention in item #1 will allow an 18 year old kid walk in with DPCI numbers, ask customer service for those items, get them for him and let him walk back out again. I know this for a fact - I've gone to the store with my step-son, I go in and I get denied. He'll go in after me and then call me into the store to meet him at the register to pay. WTF?

4. Items ALWAYS leak out early, all you have to do is hit the store when the dictator who manages the area that includes Toys is not working.

5. They never set limits in my area. EVER.

6. Why is it that Target seems hell-bent on lumping scalpers in with collectors? I should be able to get my two of everything w/o any hassle. Clearly I'm not buying in quantities to resell like the Granny you describe below when I'm only getting two.

7. If Target finds these exclusives such a "hassle" - I'll be perfectly happy not having to worry about even stepping foot into a Target if you guys stop getting them from Hasbro.

and last but not least...

8. I dropped over $500.00 on a single day picking up all of the exclusives and UBPs. I shop at the store for toys all year 'round. Where's the customer loyalty for someone like me? You make it sound like you'd rather let the moms who shops for toys once, perhaps twice a year get something before the toy department "regular" customers.

Let me just end with, I am not the type of person to "abuse" or yell at the Target employees if they won't help me, and I always only ask for stuff if the spot for it is empty (or close to empty).

« Last Edit: December 3, 2007, 10:02 AM by Pete_Fett »

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Peter

Letting my collecting OCD get the better of me on a DAILY basis... and loving EVERY minute of it!

A lot of my experiences counter a lot of the things you listed Chuck, but that's me... I have found, even with management, that if you're polite and clearly aren't buying up the stock the store has, they're happy to help you out... I cannot speak for those buying everything up, but in general the only times I'm "denied" at Target are these:

-Stock Boy, nobody of any "Power" at the store, decides he'll concoct some story why he won't help me... Usually I'm able to simply go to customer service and resolve this.

-CSR doesn't help, but that's very rare... I had my first encounter of this recently with the UBP's where she said, "Oh those aren't in stock here", when I clearly had already checked and they were. She simply lied so she didn't get bothered... It happens, I left it go... But that doesn't make it right either, and it reflects poorly on the store.

I've found that usually the help I get comes from the people who seemingly would know the in's out's of the store better, which sort of flies in the face of the notion that Target's just out to see to it these get in the hands of the "little guy" and everyone gets a fair chance at them.

I'm not saying everyone views it the same, but I've gotten very different impressions of Target from sources at varying levels in the company. They don't all seem to feel that the same on the matter.

So far, my stores have never had a problem with an exclusive being out for a sale's ad, however... How often are exclusives ever even listed IN Sales ads? Seriously?

Shuttle last year maybe? The UBP's this year? None of the AT-RT packs, or the Redeco ARC were in the ad this week... I don't recall Order 66 sets EVER in a sales ad. I don't recall a battlepack advertised that wasn't a general release item... This is many years of collecting I'm running through my mind here, so maybe I'm mistaken, but usually the sales-ad promotional exclusives are VERY uncommon even, so the argument that "we want them there for the ad so we won't get them for you" doesn't hold up well to me either...

I can probably count on one hand the number of times I ran into a real problem getting anything though, so as long as that's the status-quo I'm pretty content. It's better than some place's customer service pattern's I've dealt with though, so that's good. Nothing beat the time though that the stock guy in toys at one Target I visit was asking me how I knew about the exclusive I wanted, and was mad because I got it. He was mad because, and he said this to his stock friend, "Anything clone sells great on Ebay, so let me know when the rest of these are going out after you get this for this customer, and don't pull anymore".

I think that's a rare occurance, but still... Clearly not everyone's enforcing limits for good reasons, and sometimes the wrong guy's the one getting screwed.

Second, I have to back Pete up in that what's happening to him does happen. We have about 8 Target store in a 15 mile radius and I would say there's a good 3 or 4 that are exactly like Pete describes, they do everything they can to not sell to collectors because they think collectors and scalpers are the same thing. Sadly, one of these stores give preferential treatment to certain Hot Wheels scalpers. I wonder why? Another one of those, it's purely the immature manager on a power trip. All the other stores are pretty indifferent except for one which actually goes out of their way to sell to everyone.

1. I have a Target in my area that "profiles" the collectors, puts out alerts that "no new Star Wars should be brought out for the next 30 minutes" when we enter the store and outright REFUSES to stock EMPTY figure pegs even though they have more in the back.

That is simply wrong. Not your statement, but the fact that they are doing so, and especially blatantly in front of you guys. Unless there has been numerous complaints from other Guests, about rude behavior from 8am Collectors (which happens more than you think), I can't justify WHY they'd adopt that policy....which ISN'T corporate at all. Some stores in my area DO wait to stock HTF items after a few of the regulars leave, only because these guys have been hassling Team Members and even Guests for years. Refusing to fill empty pegs when there is stock in the back should be brought up to the STL or Hardlines ETL if the Team Lead isn't helping. If that doesn't work, ask for the DTLs email or phone number.

2. I have spoken with Target Corporate Customer Service, and everytime I do they confirm to me that the price scanners with the keypads are to assist customers in looking-up items that are not out on the shelves/pegs.

Technically, yes. That's why they are there....the issue is, people are using DPCIs found online weeks before items are even due to be on the sales floor, and seeing them IN STOCK. Some are then demanding product be brought out and sold to them, or asking people that don't know any better, to pull the items so they can buy them early. Just because it's IN STOCK, doesn't mean they HAVE to sell it to you or that you're entitled to it. Until you've paid at the front lanes, it is Target's merchandise, and they can do whatever they want with it.

3. The same Target that I mention in item #1 will allow an 18 year old kid walk in with DPCI numbers, ask customer service for those items, get them for him and let him walk back out again. I know this for a fact - I've gone to the store with my stepson, I go in and I get denied. He'll go in after me and then call me into the store to meet him at the register to pay. WTF?

Again, it's NOT what they are supposed to be doing. I'm not being facetious here, but have you ever "caused a problem" at this store? You know, pitched a bit of a fit over a toy for any reason, that would make them single you out? I'm only asking since I can't think of another "valid" reason they may single you out.

4. Items ALWAYS leak out early, all you have to do is hit the store when the dictator who manages the area that includes Toys is not working.

Items leak out because of several reasons.....it usually has nothing to do with the "dictator" though. All stores have a Flow Team. Some work overnight 10pm-7am, some come in around 3am-11am. These people are pushed to work 1,200-2,000 piece trucks (and by piece I mean Cases) every night....sometimes 2 trucks. If a case with a "set date" slips by and makes it to the floor, instead of backstock, it may get put on a riser or flexed in where that BRAND normally resides. Accidents happen when people are overtired and in a rush. Of course, people using DPCIs to having stuff pulled from the Backroom doesn't help either. If they don't by the whole case, the Team Member usually walks over to the aisle, and just puts the leftovers anywhere to avoid having to Backstock them (since most don't know how, because they aren't trained to).

6. Why is it that Target seems hell-bent on lumping scalpers in with collectors? I should be able to get my two of everything w/o any hassle. Clearly I'm not buying in quantities to resell like the Granny you describe below when I'm only getting two.

The average Team Member really doesn't know the difference. They see 20-30 something year old men, showing up daily to buy toys, and naturally, after years of seeing it happen, assume that they are one in the same. The only reason I know the difference, is because I make it a habit to introduce myself to these crazy 8am'ers to find out who's who.

7. If Target finds these exclusives such a "hassle" - I'll be perfectly happy not having to worry about even stepping foot into a Target if you guys stop getting them from Hasbro.

Collectors seem to be making these more of a "hassle" than anything. If people wouldn't go into panic mode everytime me or some other Target spy slip DPCIs to let you guys know what's coming, there wouldn't be a hassle for anyone. If we say, "Target is gonna have Star Wars exclusive "X", and we don't leak the DPCI, people start slamming us for holding out on them and being jerks.

8. I dropped over $500.00 on a single day picking up all of the exclusives and UBPs. I shop at the store for toys all year 'round. Where's the customer loyalty for someone like me? You make it sound like you'd rather let the moms who shops for toys once, perhaps twice a year get something before the toy department "regular" customers.

Just because you shop there daily, weekly, monthly, doesn't entitle you to anything more than the next guy. What exactly are you expecting for "customer loyalty"? I have Mom's DAILY that shop for Toys....some for SW, some for TFs, etc. The 10-15 minutes you spend in the store are a very small snapshot of who the "regulars" really are.

Look, I'm not saying Target is perfect by ANY means. I will say there are far worse stores you could have to deal with (at least in my experience). Walmart has NEVER checked the back for me, because they CAN'T. There stuff is shoved on pallets and shrink wrapped until they start stocking again overnight. Target can at least tell you "YES we have that!", and sometimes even go get it for you.

TRU, from my experience, has a built in Collector Ring in every store. Probably because the guys hired there are collectors to begin with. I'm sure quite a few flip stuff on eBay to cover the cost of their own collections. I personally know of at least 2 in the Orlando area that do this.

KB, well, not much else to say, they may be worse than TRU.

Kmart shouldn't even bother carrying toys, plain and simple.

If retail is bumming you out, busting your balls, or generally pissing you off, I'd say try Etailers or just find a new hobby. SW toys are supposed to be fun (as are all toys). I think people take them too seriously. When you're stressing this much over plastic and carboard, it may be time to try something new.